Really???

[NickTheEnforcer]

a big issue I have with anyone else working on my tires is that they never torque the lug nuts like you are supposed to on alloy wheels and instead just mash them on way too tight with a zip gun. Last time I had tires changed the guy was so rough he mashed the metal covers that go over the lug nuts to shit and put dents all over one rim around the lug nut area. When I complained he said that the regular socket wouldn't fit because the metal caps had "swollen". I had rotated the tires a week earlier and had no issues. now those metal covers do come loose but it wasn't the case here I think he used too big of a socket. Probably SAE instead of metric. Anyway, he bought me a new rim but I still got my tire machine fixed asap after that. Never again...

also once they mash the *uck outta them the thin layer of chrome comes off and seemingly over-fricking night they are rusted out...
If i need to go to the tire shop [up here Discount Tire is consistently good-to-better than most] I try to go in when they are not super busy/make an appointment. Then I find a dude who does not look like a shit-stick and ask him if he wants a good tip, once I find said hi-speed low-drag individual I explain I'm a picky car-guy type who does not want his rims looking like they went thru a giant can-opener, yada-yada. I tell space-ace if he can rotate my tires and static balance them w/o damage he will get a crisp $20 bill. Sure it sucks in this day and age you gotta bribe folks to do the job most of us did out of pride, but then my boss was a WW2 pilot and resident hard-ass who would light you up if he had to buy someone a hub cap b/c one of us beat the shit out of it putting it back on. Always works from tire shop to car wash, you gotta be known as 'that guy' who tips well but expects the best service. The teens at the car wash fight over who's doing my truck b/c they know I tip as much or more than I paid for the wash itself b/c I want clean towels used and it to look the best. Last week this snobby chick in a BMW 7 series asked me why the service was so bad, I asked her how much she tips. She gave me a clueless look as I walked by, one doofy new kid was drying her car with towels I watched him pick up off the ground while I had two of the best guys on my Ranger hustling like their lives depended on it. After she left I asked him how much she gave him..$2. My guys laughed as said they can usually tell who the good tippers are and dont waste their time with the others...
Hate the game dont hate the players.

Sponsored

 

[Rickfar]

I will say this that ford's lugs do swell after a few years and the correct size socket does not fit onto them. But there are tire monkeys that do not know how to take lugs off correctly as they let the sloppy socket bang around after lug is off and it scratches paint up as the lugs are recessed and I know this first hand from the stealer I bought my ascape from. They jacked them up at 500 miles and the only thing they did was have a traveling paint touch up guy touch them up and they looked like SH**! So I bought 4 new factory wheels and new TPMS sensors and never used then as I just traded my 17 escape in with 5800 miles to buy my 2019 ranger.

 

[HenryMac]

I went to high school with a guy that had a 2 door 64 Impala hard top. Nice car, his grandparents gave it to him. He installed a set of 15" Cragar S/S wheels.

He got a flat tire and couldn't find his lock lug key. So he proceeded to beat the Cragar cast center piece into little pieces with a sledge hammer.

Problem solved.

 

[SubVet]

I have insurance, they can have the rims if they want them that badly, it's not 1982 and ALL vehicles come with alloy rims! The wheel locks never make it home from the stealership. I take them off in the lot and right into the trash can! Learned my lesson over 20 years ago when service-monkeys forget to put the key back, break them [by using an air gun] and not using torque wrench/too tight, etc. Have had alloy or 'nice' rims on most of my vehicles since about 1988 never had a theft issue. JMO

I removed mine when I bought tires. I gave the stock locks to the installer of my Eibach Kit.

 

[fordyken]

Did you folks ever think that is left out for marketing purposes so it is easy to see??

I would be willing to bet it does not actually protrude like that when installed.

the actual ford accessory protrudes like that.

 

[Indy650]

I will say this that ford's lugs do swell after a few years and the correct size socket does not fit onto them. But there are tire monkeys that do not know how to take lugs off correctly as they let the sloppy socket bang around after lug is off and it scratches paint up as the lugs are recessed and I know this first hand from the stealer I bought my ascape from. They jacked them up at 500 miles and the only thing they did was have a traveling paint touch up guy touch them up and they looked like SH**! So I bought 4 new factory wheels and new TPMS sensors and never used then as I just traded my 17 escape in with 5800 miles to buy my 2019 ranger.

ya you are right they do swell but in my case it was just his excuse because i had them off a week or 2 earlier and they were fine.

 

[Indy650]

also once they mash the *uck outta them the thin layer of chrome comes off and seemingly over-fricking night they are rusted out...
If i need to go to the tire shop [up here Discount Tire is consistently good-to-better than most] I try to go in when they are not super busy/make an appointment. Then I find a dude who does not look like a shit-stick and ask him if he wants a good tip, once I find said hi-speed low-drag individual I explain I'm a picky car-guy type who does not want his rims looking like they went thru a giant can-opener, yada-yada. I tell space-ace if he can rotate my tires and static balance them w/o damage he will get a crisp $20 bill. Sure it sucks in this day and age you gotta bribe folks to do the job most of us did out of pride, but then my boss was a WW2 pilot and resident hard-ass who would light you up if he had to buy someone a hub cap b/c one of us beat the shit out of it putting it back on. Always works from tire shop to car wash, you gotta be known as 'that guy' who tips well but expects the best service. The teens at the car wash fight over who's doing my truck b/c they know I tip as much or more than I paid for the wash itself b/c I want clean towels used and it to look the best. Last week this snobby chick in a BMW 7 series asked me why the service was so bad, I asked her how much she tips. She gave me a clueless look as I walked by, one doofy new kid was drying her car with towels I watched him pick up off the ground while I had two of the best guys on my Ranger hustling like their lives depended on it. After she left I asked him how much she gave him..$2. My guys laughed as said they can usually tell who the good tippers are and dont waste their time with the others...
Hate the game dont hate the players.

yup always gotta tip when it comes to mechanic work. I love good tippers but Im the rare mechanic that takes care of a customers property either way.

 

[MannyS]

I now redact my previous comment. My bad.

 

[Kataphrakt]

I will say this that ford's lugs do swell after a few years and the correct size socket does not fit onto them. But there are tire monkeys that do not know how to take lugs off correctly as they let the sloppy socket bang around after lug is off and it scratches paint up as the lugs are recessed and I know this first hand from the stealer I bought my ascape from. They jacked them up at 500 miles and the only thing they did was have a traveling paint touch up guy touch them up and they looked like SH**! So I bought 4 new factory wheels and new TPMS sensors and never used then as I just traded my 17 escape in with 5800 miles to buy my 2019 ranger.

I spoke with a wheel engineer at Ford and asked about this issue. He mentioned there was a supplier issue with lugs (that same supplier supplied the swelling lugs on GM and Chevy vehicles too) but that was resolved. The "Swelling lugs" idea persists because it did happen at one point, so now every impact driver jockey has an excuse for their carelessness. The modern lugs have an issue which appears visually similar to the swelling which is caused by the use of 16-point sockets which are too short.

Sponsored